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MOTUC Q&A's From Around the Net (4/1/2013)

1. Direct question to the 4 Horsemen/ design: Some armors that have been very tight on the prototype turn out to be wider on the final figure. This can clearly be seen on figures like Spikor and Snake Face. It is not a big issue and only natural in the toy making process, but it hinders the arm/shoulder movement a little bit. Could you imagine designing future armors a bit different, so that some space is left under the arms and the armor doesn't hinder articulation?

Sorry, this forum is for questions to Mattel brand managers and designers. If you have a question for the Horsemen you need to post on their site or ask them at a convention.

2. Toy Guru has stated that 5 out of 6 figures from the filmation sub will have day-of-sale product. But what about the main sub? will there be more figures in 2013 that won't hit mattycollector's shop?

Yes, it is very likely there will be additional 2013 figures without Day of stock in 2013 as noted when we sold in the sub last summer.

3. Usually the SDCC exclusive(s) are revealed in April. Any idea how and when you will show them?

Ideally also in April. It depends on when we have final samples really.

4. When it comes to the PoP ladies usually we get the filmation look for them and a lot of people are fine with it, as this is the most iconic look. Nonetheless some people are constantly asking for toy versions. So, if and when you get to Glimmer, would you consider doing two different heads for her, because this girl has two very different looks, especially concerning her hairdo.

We don't have a Glimmer figure planned right now so we simply don't have info to announce. But cool suggestion!

5. There is a lot going on with merchandise right now, new busts, statues, bobbleheads, cookie cans. But what do you think about some in-house cross-overs? It would be a lot of fun for collectors if you could team up with Hot Wheels and do some mini MotU-vehicles or the Barbie team and give us a She-Ra and Teela Barbie or something like this.

We actually did release a series of MOTU Hot Wheels last year as singles and a multipack at TRU!

Kastor’s Korner: During membership drives like 2013 MOTUC, DCIE, & Castle Grayskull, there was a lot of begging on the part of Management, the sculptors, and even Digital River to have us buy a subcription. If the situation was that dire, how then were you able to get an additional Filmation subscription set up more recently? I am SO happy and relieved the line isn’t riding off into the sunset, as was feared.
Mattel: Sorry, we can’t go into detail on our internal strategies for product offerings. But the MOTU base is clearly strong enough to support more figures, which is a good thing!

Kastor’s Korner: Is the rapid sell-out of Strobo at Early Access a good demonstrative tool to show Upper Management that more convention exclusive SKUs should be added? Many related conventions similar to Power Con offer “sets” and “teams”. White “200x” deco Marlena/Filmation Captain Glenn, Kamo Khan, and Comic Ram-Man vs Comic Trap-Jaw, and green Granamyr are examples of easy figures to produce with no/minimal new tooling and it’s a good venue for them, no?

Mattel: We may have a few surprises up our sleeves!

Kastor’s Korner: Strobo is in a unique situation, in that unlike other Matty Collector products, he will be released at multiple venues over the next seven months. Given his incredibly fast sell-out during the March early access, is there time to increase his production run/ go back into production to accomodate the seemingly under-predicted demand for the figure? Boosting supply seems like it would lead to happy fans and more products sold, which seems like a win-win.

Mattel: No. His full production is complete at this point and we are holding units allocated for sale at the 2013 traveling cons. The early access quota was an above and beyond bonus we did not do last year but wanted to offer in 2013 for sub holders.

While Hordak was trapped in Despondos, where was Horde Prime and why he didn't set Hordak free? And how did he live for thousand years too without getting old?

Keep reading the bios and mini comics!

Talking about the figures' international shipping and the its costs; wouldn't it be viable as a method to reduce shipping costs and avoiding any lost figures to use the possibility to send the M.o.t.U.C figure to all the different Mattel branches in all countries and continents with, for example, Hot Wheels', Barbie's or Max Steel's productions and then from there, distribute them through local postal service?

Unfortunately no. The facilities we have around the world are not set up for DTC distribution. They are set up to move large quantities of retail product to retailers. It is a very different system.

Scott, in your today's point of view, can we keep at least a little hope that we finally will get a 2014 sub? And if the 2014 sub happens, do you think that it is viable to get a 2015 sub?Thanks, if there's a minimun way to have M.o.t.U.C. in 2014 and 2015 we will be really happy.

That is 100% up to customers. We will offer a 2014 sub with a min number we need to hit to move forward. If we hit it, we will do a 2014 sub. If we do not, we will end the line after 2013. We can only make toys when there are customers to buy them!

Now that we've seen released in M.o.t.U.C such original characters from the comics, such as Strobo or Horde Prime's second head, along with another references like the Prison star, is there any chance to see released another renown characters with certain fame like the Morcs warriors (Interpart, Germany), Scrollos, the Saans, the Merlantis' fish men (London Editions, U.K.) or Shezar (Abril, Brazil) alongside so may others?

All of these would be great additional but right now we are concentrating on the vintage line and the major animated and mini comic characters for 2014. These type of suggestions may need to wait until 2016 and beyond.

Does Mattel has total freedom to write the bios based on Filmation's designs and Filmation's sub? Or because copyright reasons are you limited to not change what we've in the cartoon show?

All of the bios (except the new Filmation ones and the 2012 30th anniversary figures) were written and approved in 2009 so we are not going to rewrite them now. It would make an already complicated process a bit more complicated!

No numbers, but is Strobo 2013 quantity the same or more/less then for TOD Sorceress from 2012.

He is around the same quota as TOD Sorceress.

Will a production Castle Grayskull be ready to show at NYCC in the fall?

Yes, it should be

Will the SDCC items sold after the show be available via early access?

Yes

Are problems such as MOTU subscribers being charged for the map and Filmation orders having to be replaced due to a glitch- something that was a mistake by Digital River. While customer service has improved, these still occur.

Yes, there will always be small issues that crop up and we will do our best to address and ideally resolve them as quickly as possible!

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The sites listed below are the sites who want to participate in the Q&A round-up in these threads and on the He-Man.org homepage news entry.
Be sure to check out their sites! There's a lot there to see in addition to the Q&As.

All other sites haven't gotten back to us yet about participating, or have asked not to be included which we completely understand and respect.
So, please do not post the actual questions and answers from any site not listed above.
But you are welcome to post a direct link to their Q&A, and discuss the info here in this thread.

In regard to answer 1., clearly those forums are not for questions to people that know how to read...

Yes I would also like them to be more careful when conceiving those armors (though it may not be possible with the present technology), but they could at least pass it along to see if anything could be done.

Glimmer is not planned yet? I thought they were giving us all the heavy hitters in 2014 and 2015. 2014 planning should pretty much be done and on to 2015 by now, so shouldnt Glimmer, an A list POP figure, at least be in the planning stages yet? I hate these blanket answers.

And the answer about the cross overs. He isnt understanding that we want mini MOTU vehicles in Hot Wheels, not a Camaro with He-Man on it, a Roton or Wind Raider in Hot Wheels scale is what we want. And why havent they put a Barbie She-Ra or Teela out yet? Seriously, it has been 30 years and they have done DC and Wizard of Oz and numerous other brands, but not their own?? I do not understand the minds at Mattel.

Mattel's in-house design and/or the Four Horsemen should have been able to comment on the size of the torso armour. Or Mattel could have at least acknowledged the issue and offered to pass along the feedback to the Four Horsemen.

Glimmer should obviously be planned by now since she is due for release in 2014 or 2015 - IF the line is available in those years.

And the absence of He-Man and She-Ra themed Barbies is bizarre, especially given the recent relaunch of Jem and the Holograms and the numerous "themed" Barbies that are released by Mattel and aimed at adult collectors. Similarly, Hot Wheels sized MOTU vehicles was an interesting suggestion that was completely misinterpreted by Mattel.

The answer around the Filmation subscription was also a write-off, but that is to be expected. The 2013 subscription sold at 135% of the minimum required, so I'm guessing that extra 35% was used by Toyguru to justify the Filmation subscription (in addition to the need to generate some revenue (or at least publicity) after paying for the Filmation licence).

Glimmer is not planned yet? I thought they were giving us all the heavy hitters in 2014 and 2015. 2014 planning should pretty much be done and on to 2015 by now, so shouldnt Glimmer, an A list POP figure, at least be in the planning stages yet? I hate these blanket answers.

And the answer about the cross overs. He isnt understanding that we want mini MOTU vehicles in Hot Wheels, not a Camaro with He-Man on it, a Roton or Wind Raider in Hot Wheels scale is what we want. And why havent they put a Barbie She-Ra or Teela out yet? Seriously, it has been 30 years and they have done DC and Wizard of Oz and numerous other brands, but not their own?? I do not understand the minds at Mattel.

Yeah, I've said that, I'd love an Attack Trak in both Filmation and Vintage looks, as a Hot Wheel. Also, oddly enough....I would probably buy a Barbie Teela and She-Ra....depends on how they would look, I have no interest in dolls at all, but those I would probably buy....and hide.

Mattel: Sorry, we cant go into detail on our internal strategies for product offerings. But the MOTU base is clearly strong enough to support more figures, which is a good thing!

When Mattel gives us answers like this, it really bothers me. All that doom and gloom last year were clearly unfounded based on this answer, and leads me to believe that scare tactics ARE their internal strategy. I mean, he just kind of admitted it, didn't he?

I really hope the sub drive this year is just met with silence on the part of Mattel. Just put the subs out there and let them sell. It would also be nice if they did some real marketting with banner ads on sites like this, instead of trying to drum up fear.

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Behold the new Fug-Lee-Faces, for he is 10% more respectful of other peoples' feelings!
Of course, your mileage may vary.

I wouldn't be the slightest bit worried about the "Glimmer isn't planned" comment. We get those all the time and then lo and behold, a couple months later, the sculpted figure is revealed.

The Four Horsemen comment is a bit ludacris and seems like nothing more than dodging the question, as it's inconsistent with answers given in the past. It's really more of a question for Design than the 4H anyway.

Nice to get the tease that there may be more surprises to be revealed coming up .

Originally Posted by Fug-Lee-Faces

[B]
I really hope the sub drive this year is just met with silence on the part of Mattel. Just put the subs out there and let them sell. It would also be nice if they did some real marketting with banner ads on sites like this, instead of trying to drum up fear.

Promote this line? Surely, you jest! Plus, as we are beaten over the head with over and over again, this line is given crumbs as far as resources/budgets go. Certainly they wouldn't want to spend any money to potentially EXPAND the line :-P

Mattel: Sorry, we cant go into detail on our internal strategies for product offerings. But the MOTU base is clearly strong enough to support more figures, which is a good thing!

When Mattel gives us answers like this, it really bothers me. All that doom and gloom last year were clearly unfounded based on this answer, and leads me to believe that scare tactics ARE their internal strategy. I mean, he just kind of admitted it, didn't he?

I really hope the sub drive this year is just met with silence on the part of Mattel. Just put the subs out there and let them sell. It would also be nice if they did some real marketting with banner ads on sites like this, instead of trying to drum up fear.

I wonder if the Castle Grayskull pre-order was the game changer? I'm sure management saw fans buying an expensive item off a b-sheet, and figured, we're all nutty enough to keep the brand going, as long as we get the items we want.

I wonder if the Castle Grayskull pre-order was the game changer? I'm sure management saw fans buying an expensive item off a b-sheet, and figured, we're all nutty enough to keep the brand going, as long as we get the items we want.

I always chuckle to myself when we see questions about how certain future figures will be handled. We always seem to get the ol' " No plans, but cool suggestion!" I do hope Glimmer gets two heads though!

Mattel: Sorry, we can’t go into detail on our internal strategies for product offerings. But the MOTU base is clearly strong enough to support more figures, which is a good thing!

When Mattel gives us answers like this, it really bothers me. All that doom and gloom last year were clearly unfounded based on this answer, and leads me to believe that scare tactics ARE their internal strategy. I mean, he just kind of admitted it, didn't he?

I really hope the sub drive this year is just met with silence on the part of Mattel. Just put the subs out there and let them sell. It would also be nice if they did some real marketting with banner ads on sites like this, instead of trying to drum up fear.

I think the scare tactics have been overplayed, and I think we met the goal last year a lot sooner than we were told, but I also don't believe that it was all a big scam. I can't see even the folks at Mattel making a big to-do about one of their lines being on the verge of extinction unless there was a real fear it would not go through. That is something that looks very bad for the company as a whole, and it isn't something they are going to broadcast about unless there is basically no other choice. They certainly aren't going to take a line that's doing just fine and slap a near extinction label on it to boost sales artificially, because that strategy is just as likely to convince folks the line is on its way out and there's no sense continuing with it, because they aren't going to ge to the rest of the characters you want.

Admitting near failure is a very bad thing for a company's image, so they aren't going to do so without profound reason. Now, once they had to admit it to urge folks to keep the line alive, I would not be a bit surprised if they took advantage of things and tried to squeeze as much out of the situation as they could, making it sound worse for longer than need be. But I on't have any real doubts that they had some real doubts about the line's future when the call first went out.

"I will use this power for all the good that can be done, to work for peace, to encourage virtue, and above all, to preserve life in all its forms..." Superman

I think the scare tactics have been overplayed, and I think we met the goal last year a lot sooner than we were told, but I also don't believe that it was all a big scam. I can't see even the folks at Mattel making a big to-do about one of their lines being on the verge of extinction unless there was a real fear it would not go through. That is something that looks very bad for the company as a whole, and it isn't something they are going to broadcast about unless there is basically no other choice. They certainly aren't going to take a line that's doing just fine and slap a near extinction label on it to boost sales artificially, because that strategy is just as likely to convince folks the line is on its way out and there's no sense continuing with it, because they aren't going to ge to the rest of the characters you want.

Admitting near failure is a very bad thing for a company's image, so they aren't going to do so without profound reason. Now, once they had to admit it to urge folks to keep the line alive, I would not be a bit surprised if they took advantage of things and tried to squeeze as much out of the situation as they could, making it sound worse for longer than need be. But I on't have any real doubts that they had some real doubts about the line's future when the call first went out.

They knew all the stock of Teela, MAA & Tri-Klops was not sold out, yet they sat on it for years making an artificial demand for them....then suddenly pop them out on Black Friday 2011....yeah, I believe Mattel can create anything artificial they want to boost sales, not hard to believe, it's done all the time. Look at big oil, they always claim there's a shortage or something, jack up prices, yet rake in big bucks in profit. It's business, they will do anything they want.

That is 100% up to customers. WE WILL OFFER A 2014 SUB WITH A MIN NUMBER WE NEED TO HIT TO MOVE FORWARD. IF WE HIT IT, WE WILL DO A 2014 SUB. IF WE DO NOT, WE WILL END THE LINE AFTER 2013. We can only make toys when there are customers to buy them !

So, scare tactics for the 2014 subscription have begun ! The first concrete threat was posted at the end of March 2013, in this April Q&A's.

It seems like there's a growing threat that there might be a possibility that the 2014 line won't see the light of day at all. So I hope Mattel will reveal Horde Troopers, Two-Bad, Tung Lashor, Modulok, Sssqueeze, Rio Blast, Ninjor and some others at SDCC, and that these characters shall be released BEFORE 2014...

It's not scare tactics, it's the reality of the situation. Scott is just spelling it out for us so we know where we stand. If Mattel doesn't get enough people to sign up in July then 2014 as we (will) know it isn't going to happen. It's likely they would still find a way to get some figures out that have already been sculpted, but nothing is guaranteed without the numbers to back it up.

So, scare tactics for the 2014 subscription have begun ! The first concrete threat was posted at the end of March 2013, in this April Q&A's.

How the heck is that a scare tactic?!?! It is just a hard fact. If not enough people sub (which is what this line is built on now) than it goes away. Simple as that. EVERY toy line dies at some point due to lack of interest. This one is also not going to last forever and now that we have blown through the majority of vintage figures 2014 is gonna be a hard sell.

How the heck is that a scare tactic?!?! It is just a hard fact. If not enough people sub (which is what this line is built on now) than it goes away. Simple as that. EVERY toy line dies at some point due to lack of interest. This one is also not going to last forever and now that we have blown through the majority of vintage figures 2014 is gonna be a hard sell.

I agree...I don't understand how it's a scare tactic.
If not enough people are buying Mustangs...I can guarantee that Ford would stop selling them. No matter how much of a fan following it has.

It's not scare tactics, it's the reality of the situation. Scott is just spelling it out for us so we know where we stand. If Mattel doesn't get enough people to sign up in July then 2014 as we (will) know it isn't going to happen. It's likely they would still find a way to get some figures out that have already been sculpted, but nothing is guaranteed without the numbers to back it up.